Cranford man charged with killing Rutgers student

Google MapsA Rutgers University student found dead in the basement of a Cranford home on Greaves Place was the victim of a homicide, authorities say.

CRANFORD — A 22-year-old Rutgers University student was arrested tonight and charged with first-degree murder in connection with the slaying of a female student who was found dead inside the suspect’s Cranford home, authorities said.

William J. Parisio is accused of killing Pamela Schmidt, a 22-year-old Warren Township woman who was expected to graduate from Rutgers’ New Brunswick campus this spring.

Schmidt’s body was found in the basement of a yellow single-family home on Greaves Place, a meticulous and quiet Cranford street, when police responded to a call at noon on Sunday, Union County Prosecutor Theodore Romankow said.

The young woman died of "traumatic injuries," Romankow said. Officials released no additional details today about how Schmidt’s life came to an end.

Earlier in the day, Romankow said it appeared her slaying was a "tragic isolated incident" and said his office was questioning a person of interest. The prosecutor would not name that person, but tried to reassure residents of the suburban town that they "should not feel like they are in danger."

On Greaves Place this afternoon, the suspect’s mother, Diane Parisio, answered the door and did not want to discuss what had happened at her house.

"It’s a tragedy for both families," she said, appearing to fight away tears.

The mother did not elaborate about how her son knew Schmidt. Asked if the two met at Rutgers, she said it was a question for the victim’s family to answer.

Schmidt’s family could not be reached for comment today, and their neighbors declined to comment.

The victim was expected to graduate from Rutgers this spring with degrees in labor studies and employment relations and psychology, according to the school’s student directory. University spokesman E.J. Miranda confirmed her enrollment.

He would not, however, confirm that Parisio was enrolled, though an address listed under his name in the student directory matches his Cranford address. He was studying statistics and economics, according to the directory, and is scheduled to graduate in 2012.

Schmidt planned to return to Rutgers next fall to attain her master’s degree in human resource management, and had been working as an intern at Amicus Therapeutics, a pharmaceutical company based in Cranbury, according to her profile on LinkedIn, a job networking website.

Residents of Greaves Place had little to say this afternoon, saying they didn’t want to get involved out of respect for the victim’s family. It’s a quiet town, and certainly a quiet neighborhood, some said.

"This is about as great a place to bring a family up as there is," said Paul Giannecchini, who has lived across the street from the Parisio family for decades. "It’s such a shame."

Parisio was being held in the Union County jail tonight in lieu of $400,000 bail

Staff writers Eugene Paik and James Queally contributed to this report.